Cotton-candy sunsets. Starry desert skies. Towering saguaro cacti. At ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, we want everyone to witness the wonders of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s Sonoran Desert and experience our unique blend of luxury, relaxation and adventure. Travel and tourism have the power to not only transform our visitors but also our community. That’s why ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has taken intentional steps to ensure everyone feels welcome here, so that tourism continues to support our community well into the future.
OUR COMMITMENT
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s mission is to promote the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ area as a luxury destination for meetings, events and leisure travel. In doing so, we invite people from all over the country and world to visit and meet in ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ.
People of all backgrounds and experiences not only visit ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ but also call ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ home. They include our employees, colleagues, neighbors, family members and friends. ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is fully committed to listening and learning so that all people, no matter their differences, feel respected, represented and safe in our community.
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ proudly promotes ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, and we proudly celebrate all our community members and visitors.
OUR STRIDES
By cultivating a more welcoming tourism industry, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is helping to advance sustainable economic growth and community vitality. We have expanded our marketing to capture perspectives that are more reflective of our visitors for our website, social media channels and marketing campaigns. We’ve published stories on our website to highlight unique voices in our community. And to ensure people of all abilities can easily access our content, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has added an accessibility tool that customizes browsing experiences on both the mobile and desktop versions of ExperienceÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ.com.
OUR IMPACT
Destination promotion has a profound impact on community vitality, shaping the way people around the globe view ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ. The benefits of destination promotion positively affect residents and local businesses, because by drawing people in and keeping them coming back, effective promotion helps build a vibrant, thriving community. Those millions of visitors pay millions in local taxes, which are reinvested back into the community’s essential public services and infrastructure, as well as tourism events, capital projects and promotion. At ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, we encourage responsible and sustainable travel, asking visitors to respect our community, just as we hope residents will appreciate our visitors.
OUR PARTNERSHIPS
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is a proud member of the following organizations, and we have collaborated with additional organizations with the hopes of expanding our customer base, providing the best service possible, and supporting a vast workforce that allows our industry to put its best foot forward.
OUR COMMUNITY
Here in ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, you can support restaurants, bars, shops, spas and art galleries owned and operated by diverse members of our community. You can tour attractions and institutions that celebrate cultures and histories like Western Spirit: ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s Museum of the West, Heard Museum and Musical Instrument Museum. You can attend annual events like the Arizona Indian Festival, the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Jazz Festival, and the Rainbows Festival.
Beyond offering such opportunities and experiences, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is committed to fair treatment of residents, visitors and employees in the community. In April 2021, the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ City Council adopted an anti-discrimination ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The ordinance provides a clear and comprehensive mandate for the prevention of discrimination in employment, housing, places of public accommodation, and city services, programs and activities.
The anti-discrimination ordinance was championed by the city’s Human Relations Commission, an advisory body for the mayor and council. Following its passage, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ received a score of 100 on the .
OUR ACCESSIBILITY
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ partnered with Wheel the World, an online booking platform where seniors and people with disabilities can discover travel accommodations and experiences that meet their individual accessibility needs.
Through our partnership, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ-area hospitality businesses receive assessments from Wheel the World’s team of experts that consider all types of disabilities, such as mobility-related, sensory, and cognitive.
Learn more about ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s fully accessible accommodations, restaurants, attractions and adventures to barrier-free trails on our Travel Accessibility in ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ webpage.
OUR NATIVE ROOTS
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is located on the ancestral homeland of the O’Odham (known as the Pima) and the Piipaash (known as the Maricopa). Native peoples have inhabited this landscape for millennia, and the city remains spiritually connected to the O’Odham of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRP-MIC) who live here today.
The SRP-MIC borders the city of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, and it is a confederation of two unique cultures with their own languages, customs, cultures, religions and histories. The traditional territory of the Akimel O’Odham and Piipaash extends much further throughout the Southwestern United States and Mexico, and the landscape is sacred, reflecting cultural values central to their ways of life. Their oral history and song culture is tied to tangible places associated with specific historic, cultural and religious values. These places, like the mountains that surround ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ and the SRP-MIC, are reminders and links to their ancestors.
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ partners with many attractions and hotels located within the SRP-MIC. Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized, sovereign Native American nations, and ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ strives to recognize, celebrate and share their respective customs, traditions and businesses with visitors traveling to Arizona through our stories, itineraries and promotions.
Find additional information on visiting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Arizona’s tribal lands at and .
